2024 Packers roster ranking, 60-51: Day 3 draft picks and UDFAs duke it out
The Leap ranks the Green Bay Packers' 90-man roster in order of player caliber.
With the Green Bay Packers on break until training camp and the personnel essentially frozen for the foreseeable future, The Leap will use this time to reveal its annual 90-man roster rankings.
Our methodology: We ordered the players based on ability relative to their respective positions rather than the value of those positions. Put another way, this exercise prioritizes the "best" players, not necessarily the "most valuable" ones. That means the starting quarterback doesn't necessarily have to top the list because of the position he plays.
Each edition of the 90-man roster ranking will include a batch of roughly 10 players. Due to voting ties, some batches will feature slightly more or less.
Today's slate primarily features Day 3 draft picks and undrafted free agents from recent years. All of these players have a strong shot at the roster with some potentially making a push for major roles.
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60. Grant DuBose
Position: wide receiver
How acquired: seventh-round draft pick (2023)
Though the rapid ascensions of Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks understandably occupied most of the wideout discourse in Green Bay last season, the Packers actually drafted a third receiver in 2023: seventh-rounder Grant DuBose. The Charlotte product took a de facto redshirt during his rookie season, spending a chunk of training camp on the non-football injury list with a back injury and eventually landing on the practice squad following final cuts. The team did elevate DuBose for Week 18, though he didn't play a snap.
While such a quiet rookie season doesn't suggest a particularly bright future, DuBose does possess the requisite tools to develop into a much more meaningful contributor. His 6-foot-2, 201-pound frame mirrors the Packers' platonic ideal for a wide receiver. DuBose also tested extremely well during the pre-draft process, registering an 8.79 Relative Athletic Score during his pro day.
Missing time early can prove too monumental a hurdle to overcome for most rookies, and DuBose's back injury almost certainly derailed his pursuit of a roster spot in 2023. Now healthy, the second-year pro could push Malik Heath and the other wideouts at the back of the rotation for a job.
59. Daniel Whelan
Position: punter
How acquired: street free agent (2023)
Though punters can never feel totally assured of their roster spot, Daniel Whelan's job appears fairly secure at this stage. He comes off a perfectly cromulent first year in Green Bay, averaging 46.2 yards per punt (39.7 net) in the mostly harsh Lambeau Field conditions. Just as importantly, the Packers didn't add any competition for the role this offseason.
That doesn't mean the Packers won't look to upgrade the position if Whelan doesn't show adequate growth this summer. As with kickers, the supply of punters far outweighs the available jobs. Even with weather affecting Whelan's output, he still ranked near the bottom of the league in most major punting categories (though he ranked sixth in hangtime, according to Pro Football Focus).
58. Samori Toure
Position: wide receiver
How acquired: seventh-round draft pick (2022)
Like DuBose last year, Samori Toure entered the NFL as the third wideout selected in the Packers' draft class in 2022. However, Toure managed to actually see the field as a rookie, appearing in 11 games and catching five passes, including a 37-yard touchdown. He saw a slight uptick in snap count this past season, though the final numbers looked largely the same.
For the second straight year, the 26-year-old Toure ranks as the oldest wideout on the Packers' roster (Alex McGough, a recently converted quarterback, doesn't count). While hardly old, Toure might have already maxed out physically. If so, his path to a roster spot at one of the most stacked position rooms in the NFL looks a bit precarious.
57. Donovan Jennings
Position: offensive lineman
How acquired: undrafted free agent (2024)
The Packers have made plenty of investments along their offensive line in recent years, but that doesn't mean an undrafted free agent like Donovan Jennings can't carve out a niche. The rookie product featured in this year's edition of the UDFA Prospectus which made the case for him earning a spot on the 53-man roster or practice squad:
"[T]he Packers have opportunities available for an undrafted rookie O-lineman like Donovan Jennings. The South Florida product started 47 games during his six-year collegiate career, all but two of them at left tackle. He has sufficient size to remain on the edge at the next level but he also has the athleticism to kick inside if needed. That versatility matters greatly when it comes to backup jobs."
Jennings has already lasted some competition as fellow undrafted O-lineman Trente Jones landed on the Packers' reserve/retired list in May. Jennings will still need to outperform several other linemen to earn a job, but he has the requisite skills to make that happen.
56. Ben Sims
Position: tight end
How acquired: waiver claim from Minnesota Vikings (2023)
Considering how Ben Sims arrived in Green Bay last year, he had a surprisingly extensive role. The then-rookie tight end played 15% of offensive snaps less than a week after the Packers claimed him off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings, seeing action in every game this past season, including the playoffs. In some ways, Sims became a fill-in for Tyler Davis, the veteran tight end who played primarily on special teams with sporadic snaps on offense in 2021 and '22 before tearing his ACL in August.
With Davis back in the fold for 2024, Sims' place in Green Bay seems less clear than it did at the end of last season. While Sims remains three years younger and cheaper than Davis, the latter has a longer track record in the role that the Packers will ask both to play. Does Sims have enough upside to outweigh Davis' proven abilities?
55. Emanuel Wilson
Position: running back
How acquired: street free agent (2023)
While Emanual Wilson entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent last year, he actually arrived in Green Bay as a street free agent following a short tenure with the Denver Broncos. Whatever Wilson failed to do in the Mile High City didn't prove problematic in his second stop, as the rookie led the Packers in rushing during the preseason (223 yards). That performance earned him one of the final roster spots during final cuts.
To make the team again in 2024, Wilson will likely need to show significant development as the Packers added plenty of competition this offseason. Newly signed Josh Jacobs will open the year as the starting running back while third-round rookie MarShawn Lloyd will push for opportunities. Meanwhile, veteran AJ Dillon returns and will have a role. Even if Wilson has the inside track over the two other tailbacks on the roster -- and that remains unclear at this time -- the chances of Green Bay keeping four on the 53-man roster look slim.
54. Kitan Oladapo
Position: safety
How acquired: fifth-round draft pick (2024)
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst famously has no fear of tripling down on a position during the draft. He selected a trio of wideouts on three occasions (2018, '22, and '23) and took three O-linemen in four different years ('20, '21, '22, and '24). Depending on how one classifies Javon Bullard, Gutekunst also tripled up at safety this year.
The last of those picks, Oregon State's Kitan Oladapo, could plausibly serve in a variety of different roles as a rookie. In six college seasons, Oladapo primarily played safety but also lined up in the slot, as a boundary corner, in the box as a linebacker, and even a handful of snaps along the defensive line. That background suggests that the Packers will use him extensively on special teams early in his career, but he has the skills to carve out a bespoke role in certain sub packages on defense as well.
Oladapo could also simply fall behind the competition. The Packers almost entirely remade the safety room this offseason, adding Xavier McKinney and the aforementioned Bullard at the top end as well as fellow Day 3 pick Evan Williams. Zayne Anderson, Anthony Johnson Jr., and Benny Sapp III return from last year's roster and could have the inside track for special-teams roles.
53. Jacob Monk
Position: offensive lineman
How acquired: fifth-round draft pick (2024)
When the Packers scouted Jacob Monk, they probably saw a lot of similarities to Zach Tom. Though Monk stands about an inch shorter, he offers comparable positional versatility and athleticism, having started games at center, guard, and tackle during his five seasons at Duke and producing a 9.73 RAS during the pre-draft process. Though he projects as an interior lineman at the next level, Monk could conceivably become the primary backup at both guard and center as soon as this year.
The Monk-Tom comparisons probably end there, at least as they pertain to their rookie seasons. While the consensus big board in 2022 viewed Tom as a borderline Day 2 prospect, this year's edition ranked Monk as an undrafted free agent. That significant disparity underscores the risk that the Packers accepted with the Duke offensive lineman. They believe his physical tools and versatility will allow him to develop into a better pro than a collegiate player, and those bets miss more often than not.
52. Luke Tenuta
Position: offensive lineman
How acquired: waiver claim from Indianapolis Colts (2022)
The Packers made a seemingly strange choice during final cuts in 2023. With limited spots on the initial 53-man roster up for grabs, they decided to burn one on Luke Tenuta, a massive but injured offensive tackle claimed off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts the previous October. The team almost immediately placed Tenuta on IR once Week 1 officially began, ostensibly to preserve his ability to return later in the season.
But Tenuta never quite made it back. Green Bay designated him for return in December but he went back on IR by the following month having not played a snap. The Packers clearly believe in his potential or else they wouldn't have bothered preserving his ability to play in 2023. However, Tenuta has to show something, anything during training camp to survive final cuts this time around.
51. Anders Carlson
Position: kicker
How acquired: sixth-round draft pick (2023)
Among the three kickers on the Packers' 90-man roster, Anders Carlson finished the highest in The Leap's rankings. However, that says little about his prospects entering 2024, as Carlson comes off a borderline disastrous rookie campaign in which he missed exactly half of his field goals from 40-plus yards as well as six extra-point attempts. His leg remains the strongest on the team, but he'll need to have a massive turnaround to serve as Green Bay's kicker this season.
That said, if anyone can rebound from such a debut, Carlson looks as good a bet as any. His older brother, Daniel Carlson, endured a similarly poor start when he entered the league. He eventually switched teams and linked up with special-teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia who now holds the same position on the Packers' coaching staff. The elder Carlson emerged as an All-Pro under Bisaccia's tutelage, setting an NFL record for most field goals of 50-plus yards in a season (11).
Could another Carlson turn the corner? He looked steadier during Green Bay's offseason program, but nothing will replicate the pressure of games before the preseason.
-- Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. Follow him on social media: @by_JBH on Twitter / @byjbh@bsky.social on Bluesky / @by_jbh on Threads